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Makiko Itoh, Writer in English and Japanese

To make it clear: Jiro Ono is known as a great itamae (sushi chef), and has a few books out (though so do many other chefs; Japan is absolutely food-obsessed), has been featured a lot on Japanese TV, and had several articles written about him. Japanese people tend to really admire people who pursue perfection with such single-mindedness as he does.

But, is Jiro Ono universally acknowledged as the best sushi master in the world in Japan? - No.

Despite the fact that the original Iron Chef (Ryouri no Tetsujin) TV show originated in Japan, the cult of the celebrity chef is not nearly as pronounced in Japan as it is in say, the U.S. That's to say, while chefs are accorded a lot of respect, it hasn't built up to the point where chefs are treated like sports stars or entertainment celebrities. (One reason for this is that food-centric programming on Japanese television in recent years has shifted away from focusing on the top end. Nowadays, you get a lot of shows about hidden hole-in-the-wall mom and pop eateries, little known country inns that offer great seafood, and things like that. The same goes for foodcentric magazines and newspaper articles. Interest has switched form A-kyuu (A-class) gourmet to B=kyuu (B-class) gourmet, at least for the time being.)

The way people find restaurants in Tokyo or anywhere in Japan is stil largely by word of mouth, despite the existence of restaurant review sites. And, how are you going to find a good restaurant in Tokyo? You talk to people you know or that you happen to encounter. You go there. You find it excellent. So you think it's the best. But, is it really? Have you tried a few hundred more? No you haven't usually. The problem is exacerbated if you don't speak the language since the people you can talk to is even more limited.

Japan is still a very hierarchical society. Sukiyabashi Jiro is still a first generation sushi-ya verging on second generation, not a shinise (a long established restaurant) yet. Shinise of good quality, that have been around for multiple generations, are still given the highest accolates, especially in traditional Japanese cuisine. (Although, this does not mean that a young chef cannot open his own restaurant and get a good reputation by any means. For example, I know a couple of guys in their thirties who started a new sushi place just two years ago in a highly competitive area of Tokyo. They struggled a bit to start, but are now fairly well established and building a regular customer base.)

The fact that Jiro Ono is still working every day at the age of eighty six is very impressive indeed. I have no doubt at all that he and his sons are excellent itamae. But again, it's practically impossible to declare them as the best.

It might be interesting to note that Jiro Ono's main claim to fame now, even in Japan, is the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi plus his three Michelin stars. I've been reading a bit of the Japanese commentary on the documentary, and a lot of it is focused on the documentary itself and the points of view it represents - "ah, so this is how non-Japanee people think of sushi and what they admire" - rather than the people of Sukiyabashi Jiro itself. Japanese people love to analyze what other people think of Japan. The Michelin red guide itself, which is what brought Sukiyabashi Jiro such attention to the outside world, is regarded mainly as a view on how foreigners regard Japanese food rather than as a must-to source for the Japanese themselves.

However, I really don't think it's necessary to declare one person as "the best." Isn't it far better knowing there are multiple places to have truly excellent sushi in Tokyo?